Turkish Forum

Category: Culture/Art

  • Creation in the Quran

    Creation in the Quran

    Testing AI, first question: creation in the Quran; composed it instantly

    The Qur’anic view of creation emphasizes a purposeful, deliberate, and intricate process through which God (Allah) brought the universe into existence. It is a perspective that reflects divine wisdom, power, and transcendence. Here are some of the key themes:

    ### 1. **Creation by God’s Will and Command**

    In the Qur’an, creation is often described as being initiated by God’s command. God says, *“Be!”* and it is. This emphasizes the sovereignty of God in bringing the universe into being with a single utterance. For instance:

    * **Surah Al-Baqarah (2:117)**: *“The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.”*

    This reflects God’s omnipotence and the simplicity of His command.

    ### 2. **Creation in Stages**

    The Qur’an suggests that creation was carried out in stages, which parallels some modern scientific understandings of cosmology (though the Qur’an doesn’t use modern terminology). It speaks about the heavens and the earth being initially a unified mass before God separated them:

    * **Surah Al-Anbiya (21:30)**: *“Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were a closed-up mass, then We opened them out?…”*

    The idea of the heavens and earth being once a “closed-up mass” suggests a primordial state of the universe, before God caused the differentiation.

    ### 3. **Creation of the Universe, Earth, and Life**

    The Qur’an offers descriptions of the creation of the universe, the Earth, and life forms. The creation of the Earth and its balance is seen as an act of divine design:

    * **Surah An-Naba (78:6-7)**: *“Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs?”*

    These verses emphasize the Earth’s stable foundation and the presence of harmony in nature, a theme repeated throughout the Qur’an.

    The creation of life, including humans, is also carefully detailed. The creation of Adam, the first human, is a special and significant event, showing humanity’s direct creation by God. The Qur’an describes the creation of Adam from clay:

    * **Surah Sad (38:71-72)**: *“When your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am creating a human being from clay, from molded mud…’”*

    Adam’s creation is unique because God breathes His spirit into him, making humans special among all creation.

    ### 4. **Purpose and Intention of Creation**

    The Qur’an stresses that creation is not random but purposeful. Everything in the universe has a reason for its existence, and its purpose is to reflect God’s glory and serve humanity’s needs. Humans are reminded that their creation is meant to acknowledge the sovereignty of God, live righteous lives, and steward the earth.

    * **Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51:56)**: *“I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”*

    Humanity’s role is to serve as caretakers of the Earth, living in harmony with God’s will.

    ### 5. **The Creation of Humans**

    The Qur’an also offers a detailed account of the creation of humanity. Adam’s creation was followed by the creation of his mate, Eve (Hawwa), and the story of their fall from paradise serves as a foundational narrative for human life on Earth. The Qur’an does not focus on the literal, material details of creation but on the spiritual significance and lessons:

    * **Surah Al-A’raf (7:19-22)**: *“And O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you wish, but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers.”*

    This passage, among others, shows the relationship between humanity and the divine, emphasizing free will, responsibility, and the consequences of disobedience.

    ### 6. **The Role of Angels and Divine Guidance**

    The Qur’an speaks of angels as the ones who carry out God’s commands. They play significant roles in creation, maintaining order in the universe, and delivering divine messages to prophets. For instance, they were involved in the creation of Adam:

    * **Surah Al-Baqarah (2:30)**: *“And when your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed, I will make upon the earth a vicegerent.’”*

    This verse illustrates the idea that humans are placed on Earth to be God’s representatives (khalifah), with a duty to uphold justice, peace, and righteousness.

    ### 7. **Creation as a Sign of God’s Existence and Power**

    The Qur’an encourages reflection on the natural world as a sign of God’s existence and majesty. Everything in creation is seen as a symbol pointing to the Creator. The vastness of the universe, the intricacies of life, the cycles of nature—these are all signs that people are urged to contemplate.

    * **Surah Al-Imran (3:190-191)**: *“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, are signs for those of understanding.”*

    ### 8. **Life, Death, and Resurrection**

    The Qur’an emphasizes that life and death are part of a larger divine plan. Life is given by God, and it is He who will cause death, followed by resurrection. Creation, in this sense, is a dynamic process, with human beings living through cycles of life and death, and eventually being resurrected for accountability in the afterlife:

    * **Surah Al-Mulk (67:2)**: *“It is He who created death and life to test you \[as to] which of you is best in deed…”*

    The ultimate purpose of creation, for humans, is to worship God and live according to His guidance, with the final goal being eternal life in the hereafter.

    ### Conclusion

    The Qur’anic view of creation presents a universe that is the result of divine will and purpose, where everything has its place and role. Humans are created with dignity and responsibility, entrusted with stewardship over the Earth, and are guided by divine revelation. The universe, in all its complexity, is seen as a sign of God’s greatness and a means by which believers can come closer to Him.

    Created by  CHATGPT.  5/14/25
    aydan mahoney

  • NOVEMBER 10, 1938

    NOVEMBER 10, 1938

    Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

    The only leader, rare in the world history, who accomplished Herculean tasks in such a short period of time.

    Ataturk was one of the greatest statesmen of the 20th century, transforming the remnants of a degenerate Empire that had existed as a corpse of itself for the last 100 years into a secular, progressive state that embraced liberal democratic ideals.

    As a Turkish commander in WW1, Ataturk was the only general to have never suffered a defeat. He fought bravely in the failed Gallipoli offensive that humiliated the Allies, and fought in both the European and Syrian theaters until the Ottoman defeat in 1918.

    Then, during the Turkish War of Independence, Ataturk rallied his people and liberated Turkey from the Treaty of Sevres. Not only did he defeat the French, the English, the Greeks, and the Armenians, he reversed the Ottoman territorial concessions that had been made after the Russo-Turkish War.

    Then, after emerging victorious and creating the Republic of Turkey, he went about to fix the new nascent state’s issues. He realized that the backwards ways of the old Ottoman Caliphate were irreconcilable with his vision for a new, secular Turkey. And in spite of virtually all of the challenges he faced, he prevailed.

    Some of his accomplishments include:

    Created a new alphabet to replace the old Arabic-based one and fully implemented it within 3–5 months

    Promoted education – particularly mathematics and the sciences – throughout his state to create a secular, scientific system. As a result of this, thousands of Turks were educated. Only 7% of the Turkish male population and 0.5% of the Turkish female population was literate. Today, Ataturk’s Turkey has a literacy rate of 95%.

    Abolished both the Islamic Caliphate and Ottoman Sultanate despite pressure to take the title of Caliph for himself. This in itself is a huge accomplishment. By doing this, he symbolically promised to make Turkey into a shining example of secularism.

    Secularized the nation, abolishing religious laws and giving all Turkish citizens equality before the law. He based his legal system off of that of the French, Swiss, and Italians.

    Established a Turkish homeland, where Turks could have sovereignty. The Ottoman Empire, especially after the 19th century, had become increasingly Europeanized and began neglecting most of its subjects, including its Turkish ones. By establishing a Turkish homeland in Anatolia, Ataturk was the founder of Turkish nationalism.

    Providing women’s rights. Ataturk wrote,“Everything we see in the world is the creative work of women,” and did the following to advance women’s rights:

    Gave women the right to vote, some 20 years before France

    Banned the hijab

    Gave women equal rights before the law

    Banned polygamy

    Universalized divorce and inheritance laws

    Supported women’s education and coeducation

    Translated the Quran into Turkish, giving Turks the ability to read a non-Arabic book of religion. This was an important step in Turkish nationalism.

    What made Ataturk a great leader was the fact that he completely changed a broken nation into the only stable Middle Eastern country of its time. His very title – Ataturk, or Father of the Turks – is symbolic of the tremendous contributions he’s made towards the Turkish nation. For this reason, he is one of the most respected people in history.

    “Shakespeare wrote, Einstein thought, Ataturk built.”

    Azmi Guran

  • APPRECIATION OF CONTRIBUTION

    APPRECIATION OF CONTRIBUTION

    APPRECIATION OF CONTRIBUTION to the Inaugural Event of the Compulsory Peace Education & ICTs vision.

    APPRECIATION OF CONTRIBUTION

    THIS CERTIFICATE IS PROUDLY PRESENTED TO

    Turkish Forum

    In recognition of contributing as a Member Organization of the New Coalition for: “Inaugural Event: Compulsory Peace Education & ICTs from Kindergarten to K-12, and Beyond” (CPE-ICTs-K-12) in support of the 2024 United Nations Summit of the Future #OurCommonFuture by Light Millennium Global, which was held on October 5, 2024.


    BİRCAN ÜNVER, M.A.

    FOUNDER-PRESIDENT OF THE LIGHT MILLENNIUM GLOBAL

  • What was Ataturk’s ethnicity?

    What was Ataturk’s ethnicity?

    He was born as an Ottoman Empire citizen.

    Ottoman Empire did not recognize ethnicities as we use today. Instead, they used, what they called, the “Millet System”. There were four millets (Millet-i Erbia) in the Ottoman Empire. They were Muslim Millet, Rum Millet (Rum means Roman, an ex East Roman Empire individual or a Christian except for Armenians), Armenian Millet and the Jewish Millet. In the public records, each Ottoman citizen was recorded under one of these 4 millets.

    Ottoman Empire did not use family names. The civil records were using father’s first name and mother’s first name.

    According to the Ottoman public records, he was Mustafa, the son of Ali Riza Bey and the son of Zubeyde Hanim, a member of the Ottoman Muslim Millet, born in the city of Selanik (Thessaloniki in Greece today), on May 19th, 1881.

    In today’s terminology, his ethnicity would be categorized as Turkish, as Turkish was his primary language, amongst the 6 other languages he spoke of.

    He died as a citizen of Republic of Turkey (of which, he was the founder). His name on his death certificate was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, two given names and the family name.

    Ahmet Caliskan

  • THE CALL

    THE CALL

    Galloping from far Asia,

    a mare’s head stretching into the Mediterranean,

    this homeland is ours.

    Wrists bloody, teeth clenched, feet bare

    and soil like a silk carpet

    this hell, this heaven is ours.

    Shut the doors that belong to another, never open them again,

    destroy the servitude of one human to another

    this call is ours.

    To live free and solitary like a tree

    and in fraternity like a forest

    this yearning is ours.

    Translation by Robin Turner, Former English lecturer at Bilkent University.

    [The translation is my own – apologies for any inaccuracies. In particular, I couldn’t find a good translation for el kapıları – literally “the doors of strangers”. I also took some liberty in translating davet as “call” rather than the more common “invitation”, but I think it fits better.]

  • Hippodrome in modern-day Istanbul

    Hippodrome in modern-day Istanbul

    Imagine if the Roman Hippodrome of Constantinople was still in modern-day Istanbul?

    The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square in Istanbul, Turkiye, known as Sultanahmet Square. The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos, horse, and dromos, path or way. For this reason, it is sometimes also called Atmeydanı (Horse Square) in Turkish. Horse racing and chariot racing were popular pastimes in the ancient world and hippodromes were common features of Greek cities in the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras.

    Recreation created by Dogukan Palaman.